In a food popularity contest, macaroni and cheese would definitely be one of the winners.

In a food popularity contest, macaroni and cheese would definitely be one of the winners. Kraft reports that it sells more than 1 million blue boxes of the stuff every day. But because it's so high in fat and calories, macaroni and cheese wouldn't win a blue ribbon from dietitians.

One cup of Kraft macaroni and cheese has 410 calories and 18 fat grams — and those numbers pale in comparison to some made-from-scratch versions. Celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse's recipe contains 550 calories and 31 fat grams per cup.

That's cold comfort for people who want to eat healthier.

But if you make a few adjustments to a typical recipe, you can keep this dish on your dinner table and still lose weight.

In my quest for a healthy mac and cheese, I experimented with several recipes and wound up altering one from Cooking Light.

Instead of regular macaroni, I use Barilla Plus, a multigrain pasta. The taste is similar, but the multigrain version has more protein and four times the amount of fiber.

The original recipe called for some gorgonzola cheese, but my taste buds thought that gave the sauce too much bite, so I substitute a little more cheddar and Swiss.

And I use light wheat bread instead of white and toss the bread crumbs with olive oil, not butter, to cut back on saturated fat.

Sure, this recipe takes more time than the blue-box version, but it's higher in protein, lower in carbs and saves you 114 calories and 13.5 fat grams per cup.

By Kathy Manweiler

1 pound uncooked Barilla Plus elbow macaroni1 slice dry light wheat bread, such as Sara Lee Delightful, torn into small pieces2½ cups 1 percent milk2 bay leaves3 whole black peppercorns¼ cup flour1¼ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese made with 2 percent milk¾ cup shredded Swiss cheese½ cup grated Parmesan cheese¾ teaspoon salt¼ teaspoon black pepperCooking spray2 teaspoons minced fresh sage or ½ teaspoon dried rubbed sage2 teaspoons olive oilNOTE: If the bread isn't dry, you can put the pieces on a cookie sheet and bake in a 200-degree oven for about 45 minutes.Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook pasta in boiling water for five minutes or until almost tender. Drain and rinse with cold water. Place pasta in a large bowl.Place bread pieces in a food processor and pulse until coarse crumbs form. Set aside.Bring milk, bay leaves and peppercorns to a simmer in a small, heavy saucepan. Remove from heat; cover and let stand five minutes. Discard bay leaves and peppercorns.Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup and level with a knife. Place flour in a small bowl and gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk until well-blended.Return milk mixture to pan. Cook over medium heat until thick, stirring constantly with a whisk. Remove from heat. Add cheeses, salt and pepper, stirring until cheeses melt. Pour cheese sauce over pasta and mix well.Spoon mixture into a 13- by 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Combine bread crumbs, sage and olive oil in a bowl and toss with a fork. Sprinkle bread-crumb mixture over pasta and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until thoroughly heated.Makes 10 1-cup servings.Per serving: 296 calories, 4.5 fat grams, 3.5 grams of fiber, 37.4 carbohydrate grams, 18.5 grams of protein.Adapted from a Cooking Light recipe.